


Sudden realisation

by AidanJail



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Auror Draco Malfoy, Auror Harry Potter, Auror Partners, Fluff, How Do I Tag, I'm not kidding, M/M, like so much fluff, really - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-25
Updated: 2018-10-25
Packaged: 2019-08-07 09:29:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16405805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AidanJail/pseuds/AidanJail
Summary: Harry's temper is really responsible of everything, but maybe it's not so bad.





	Sudden realisation

**Author's Note:**

> 'I love you' prompts - Anon said on tumblr : "11 and Drarry off the love prompts! Ah my god like the passion wooo"
> 
> 11 is “with a shuddering gasp”, and I know, I know you probably expected smut or something, but my brain decided otherwise. Sorry.
> 
> (Also, this was send a while ago, sorry about the time it took to write it.)

“Well?”

Draco was staring at Harry with that unimpressed face, one eyebrow raised and mouth quirked slightly downwards. Harry looked down at his hands, fidgetting. It was stupid, he knew, but right now, he felt like a little kid being scolded. He did deserve it though.

“Harry James Potter.”

Harry winced slightly at that. Full name. That wasn’t good at all. He cleared his throat softly, still refusing to meet the blond man’s eyes as he spoke.

“I told him he could rot in Hell for all I cared…

\- You… Idiot. Seriously?”

Had Harry look at Draco, he would’ve seen the amusement in the other man’s eyes, but he couldn’t bring himself to look up. He felt very ashamed right now. Saying that kind of things to the Head Auror was not a good idea, even when you were the Savior. But Harry was impulsive and when he was angry, not much could stop him from saying what he thought. Well, no, actually, not much could stop him from saying what he thought pretty much all the time, point. Usually it wasn’t an issue, as he was fairly patient, and when he wasn’t, he had his friends around him to stop him from going too far, but in the Head Auror’s office, he was on his own, and pretty angry, and he had lost his temper.

“See, that’s why I can’t leave you on your own., Draco sighed, You always get in trouble without me.”

Harry chuckled softly, but it didn’t reach his eyes. He looked up and locked gaze with the blond. He didn’t look angry anymore. A little amused, maybe. But that didn’t stop the panic Harry felt rising to grow, and his eyes started to fill up with tears. Which didn’t go unnoticed. The blond shook his head.

“Come on Potter. What happened in there that made you angry?, Draco smirked as he talked, his tone teasing, Did he assign you a desk duty?”

This was Draco’s way to make Harry focus on something else. It usually worked. But Harry just shook his head before mumbling. Draco had to ask him to repeat himself twice before he got it.

“He said he’d understand if I wanted to switch partners and asked someone else to deal with the Death Eater scum.”

This time, he heard it. The man froze, turning paler than ever. Sure, a few months ago, Harry would’ve been delighted to hear these words. But not now. When Draco and him had been assigned partners, it was because of many factors. Ron was gone, Neville too. Draco was an expert in potions and strategy, and Harry was great in actions. That was what they needed for the case. It had worked pretty well, despite the many fights they had together, and in the end, they’ve managed to find an arangement where they could talk to each other, think together and even solve the case together without fighting (too much).

Then they had to work together again on a few cases, seeing they were more than efficient, and they had decided to talk a bit. They’ve managed to go from “mutual agreement not to fight in front of others” to “actually standing to talk to each other” during the second case, then to “going along pretty well all things considered” for the third case. They had tried a tentative friendship then and had grown to spend much more time together than Harry was spending with Ron and Hermione lately, what with all the work she had at the Ministry and him working with George now. Not that Harry complained, Ron seemed more than happy, and Draco was great to be around, once you got passed the cold and mean mask, and gotten used to his Luna kind of strangeness.

And thus, Harry was definitely not happy to hear the Head Auror talk about Draco like that. Especially since even before becomming friends with him, even Harry had to admit Draco was one of the best Auror he knew. Because the blond could be as discreet as he could be loud and theatrical, because he was clever, so clever, always thinking ahead and planning, because he had this probably pureblood advantage to know stuffs about psychology and politics and could think like the people they were after, and he could almost always talk someone out of, or convince them to do something. And, as Harry had discovered lately, because Draco felt like he didn’t have much to loose, and because he felt like being the best was a challenge, he never backed off. And not only that had saved Harry’s arse a few times, which he was grateful for, but it also made Harry realise how much Draco had grown, and how far from the spoiled brat he was as a kid.

Harry looked at Draco, now, and he wished he hadn’t told him anything about what had been said by the Head Auror. The blond man was really pale and had slipped back into what Harry thought about as the Malfoy persona: cold and expressionless. Which he only wore in public, with people he didn’t like and/or when they were at an official thing, like the Ministry ball and such. Or when he was trying to keep it together, wether it was from rage or pain. And since this was just the two of them, and Harry liked to think Draco rather liked hanging out with him, could only mean one thing. It made the man’s heart clench painfully and his throat turned dry. Merlin he hated when Draco did that. It reminded him of Lucius Malfoy, though it might’ve been the point. Harry hadn’t thought before talking, so used to venting to Draco, and now the blond was upset.

“Draco, I’m sorry, the Head Auror is a right bastard, and I can assure you I got really mad at him for that and…-

\- Harry James Potter, you are a right idiot.”

Draco glared at him an Harry froze. What?

“What?

\- You can’t get into trouble with _the Head Auror_ because of m-…,he cut out and made a face quickly before continuying, Because of that! It’s not as if it wasn’t true, anyway. Nor the worst I heard.”

Draco got up, and Harry just stared at him in complete confusion. Why was _he_ the one being reprimended?

“What?

\- Oh, for Salazar’s sake, Harry, shut it. You can’t get mad at your boss because he insulted me! Not in front of him at least! Sure, you can rant all you want to me, or Ronald, or Hermione, but do not…”

Again with the face, meaning Draco was struggling to explain himself. That happened when he was really pissed. And Harry felt kind of terrified to be the object of his wrath right now. The blond started to pace the room, staying on the other side of Harry, gesturing as he lectured the black haired man.

“For someone who’d like a promotion, you sure as hell know how to ensure not to get one!

\- B-but he insulted you! Draco!

\- What about it, Potter? Think I can’t take care of myself?”

And, oh, back to Potter, that wasn’t good. Harry shut his mouth and gulped. Draco pinched the bridge of his nose.

“I thought I had managed to teach you a thing or two! Keep it together in front of people!

\- But I don’t want to switch partner!, and Harry’s voice was a squeak now.

\- Well then, again, you keep it together, mumble something about not wanting someone else to have to deal with me, play the Saviour again, I don’t know! But don’t yell at him! How stupid can you be?!”

Draco went on, expressing how stupid Harry was and how he should know better, and Harry felt like he should be pissed about all that, but all he could think of was what Draco meant by that. He didn’t care about being insulted. He didn’t care about being characterised by his past, when all he did was making up for it. All he cared about was Harry’s sake and position. How he didn’t want Harry to be compromised for his sake. And Harry’s heart clenched again, but it wasn’t as painful this time. Draco wouldn’t mind if Harry hid their friendship, their everything, to keep his image intact. Harry really wanted Draco to shut up now, so he could tell him how much more important he was to him than whatever image Harry had. And that’s when Harry realised what he really wanted to say.

“I love you.”

It was a small, shuddering, gasp, it was the realisation that dawned on him, it was sudden and really, really impulsive. But, as Draco had realised as they were working together, it was very Harry.

Draco had shut up indeed. He had even frozen completely, for a few seconds, before he had turned slowly to face Harry, his eyes wide with shock and his mouth hanging open a little. Harry blushed immediately, slowly realising what he had just said. Well, that was sort of awkward. They weren’t even dating, had just really recently become friends. Too late to take it back, though. Harry saw Draco close his mouth and gulp, before he looked away. The silent stretched and would the situation be a tad different, Harry would’ve poked fun at Draco for making him speechless, truly an exploit.

“… Do you mean that… ?”

It was so small, so unlike Draco, that Harry’s eyes immediately shot to him. There was something on the blond’s face that Harry hadn’t seen many times, only when he had spent hours waiting in St Mungos when Harry had managed to get hurt in mission, when his father had been really sick, when there had been an attempt of attack on his mother. Fear that something was going to go wrong, the fear to hope. Hence why Harry didn’t hesitate to nod, which was pretty stupid, since he had no idea what Draco would rather hear. But, well, it was too late now, and Harry really didn’t want Draco to go back to depreciating himself, so he made another rash decision and started speaking.

“I do, I really do, Draco. You’re smart, and a great strategist, you’re a great person, you grew so much! You always try to make up for what happened before, but you did so much more than make up for it, you deserve to be treated fairly! You’re always thinking ahead, you saved my arse so many times, you’re always here for me when I need it, you always have my back… Well I have yours, too! Nobody gets to speak about you like the Head Auror did, and you included! And I really, really love you. I don’t care if you don’t, I swear, it’s just, you’re amazing, and so much better than you think, and I swear I’ll always have your back, I don’t care, trust me, I really don’t bloody care that it might slow me down for a promotion, or whatever, I would fight anyone saying anything about you being anything else than amazing and-…

\- Harry. Shut up, will you?”

Draco’s face was back to something familiar, his voice so so soft, with a light of amusement in his eyes, and a fond smile on his lips. Harry blushed crimson and close his mouth, before smiling sheepishly. He was about to apologise, but Draco took his hands in his own softly. Harry gulped slightly, and Draco chuckled.

“I love you too, idiot.”

Harry felt his heart swell, and couldn’t help but grin wider, earning another laugh from the blond. The other man was looking at him like he was discovering his face, which was probably the case, as they had never stood that close while facing each other. Draco’s right hand slowly came up to Harry’s face and put a stray strand of hair behind Harry’s ear. Which did nothing to improve Harry’s blush, nor the start of Draco’s, for all that mattered. They just stared at each other, and it really was enough right there.

Slowly, very slowly, they inched closer to one another and just as slowly they kissed. It wasn’t a very particular kiss, just like the other, except it was extraordinary, because it was Draco for Harry, because it was Harry for Draco. The way they kissed didn’t matter so much as who it was. And when they broke apart they were both smiling widely and gave each other as many little peck they could, just the two of them, like they were out of the world for a bit.

“Alright, maybe I can let go of you getting mad at the Head Auror for once.

\- Now, if I knew that was what I needed to do to avoid being yelled at…

\- Don’t get used to it, you can’t do that everytime, Potter.”

Harry chuckled softly and shook his head soflty. He was happy.


End file.
